Agitator



C. LE R. LEWIS.

AGITATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.IB, 192 0.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921* 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

lvwawtoz flaadelfawl 0. LE R. LEWIS.

AGITATDR.

PATENT OFFICE CLAUDE LE ROY LEWIS, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

V AGITATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 18, 1921.

Application filed September 18, 1920. Serial No. 411,096.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLAUDE LE ROY Lnwis, a citizenof the United States, residin at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and state of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Agitator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanical agitators.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine for mechanically-agitating milk or cream in shipping cans to render it of uniform quality before the contents of the cans are sampled.

Another object is to provide a machine of this character so constructed that the agitator proper will be vertically movable and the blades thereof will revolve only when the agitator is lowered to its extreme limit in which position it will be submerged in the liquid to be agitated.

Another object is to provide a machine of this character equipped with means automatically operable to prevent rotation of the blades during the lifting and lowering of the agitator.

Another object is to provide simple and efficient means for releasing and applying the brake on the lowering and raising respectively of the agitator.

Another object is to provide a simple and efficient coupling for connecting the inner and outer shafts employed as a part of the machine.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter 'shown and described, and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

"In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of this improved agitator with the blades shown in raised position over a milk can ready to be lowered thereinto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the coupling for uniting the inner and outer shafts.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similar view taken through the brake.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of one member of the coupling, and,

Fig. 6 is a similar view ployed in the coupling.

In the embodiment illustrated the machine constituting this invention is suspended from a Suitable support preferably located in a buildingand here shown in the form of beams as 1 on which are mounted bars 2 spaced from the beams by cross bars 3.

epending from and mounted to rotate in the supporting structure is a tubular shaft 4:, the upper end of which is supported by a thrust bearing 5 and its lower end passes through a spider 21 being held against longitudinal movement therethrough by collars 22 and 23 arranged above and p elow the spider as is shown clearly in A shaft 6 is telescopically engaged with the shaft 4 and is designed to reciprocate of the key emtherein and to rotate therewith. This shaft.

6 carries on its lever end a plurality of ion gitudinally spaced agitator blades 7 adapted tov enter a milk can C arranged below the machine and to agitate the contents in a manner hereinafter to be described.

The inner shaft 6 and the outer shaft 4 are connected by a key 8 here shown T- shaped, the head of which is mounted in a groove in the shaft 6 and the shank or wing 9 projects radially from said shaft through a longitudinally disposed slot 12 in shaft 4 as is shown clearly in Fig. 2. This key wing 9 extends between the slit ends of a collar 11 which encircles the tubular shaft at and is connected with said shaft and with shaft 6 by said key.

A housing 10 encompasses the collar 11, the key and ball bearings 14 which are arranged between the housing and the collar to provide for the ready rotation of the latter without affecting the former. The housing 10 has a removable closure 15 at one end thereof which is here shown screwed thereinto to afford access to the contents of the housing.

This housing 10 is provided at diametrically opposite sides with bosses having internally threaded sockets 16 to receive bolts 17 on which are mounted the yoke arms 18 of a lever 19, said arms being slotted longitudinally as shown at 20 with the bolts 17 passing through said slots (see Fig. 1).

The spider 21 above referred to is supported by upright rods 24 which depend from the supporting structure and are braced intermediate their ends by brace bars 4O between its fulcrum and its connection with 25. Any desired number of these rods may be employed four being preferably used and they may be secured in any suitable manner to the supporting structure.

' A laterally'extending bracket 26 is carried by the rods 24 and is preferably made V- shaped in form withthe free ends of the arms thereof clampingly engaged with two of the rods 24. Brace bars 27 contact the bracket 23 with the rods 24 at points spaced above the connection of the bracket arms therewith and auxiliary brace bars 28 connect said bracket with the beams 1. The lever 19 is fulcrumed at one end in said bracket, being here shown pivoted to the apex thereof. This lever has its 'free end offset downwardly and provided with a hand grip 29 for actuating it. 7

A cable 30 is connected with the lever 19 preferably at the juncture of the offset portion with the body thereof and said' cable passes up over suitable sheaves 31 mounted on the supporting structure and carries at its free end a counterbalancing weight 32 which operates to return the lever to normal raised position after, it has been depressed.

A clutch .member 33 is fixed to the outer shaft 4 near its upper end and an actuating lever 34 is engaged with said clutch midway its ends, one end thereof being connected with a rod 35 passing through the supporting structure, while its other end is connected with a rod 36 slidably mounted in said structure and in the cross bar 2. A coiled spring 37 is arranged on the rod 36 between the outer face of the bar 2 and a head 37 carried by said rod, said spring exerting its tension to normally force the rod upward. A chain 38 connects the lower end of. rod 36 with the lever 19 at a point the housing 10 as is shown clearly in Fig. 1 so that when the lever is. depressed. the rod 36 will be drawn downward carrying with it theclutch actuating lever 34 which brings the clutch 33 into engagement with a cooperating clutch 39 carried by a pulley 40.

loosely mounted on shaft 4. This pulley 40 is rotated by a belt 41 driven by a motor M. The clutch member 33 while fixed against rotation on the rod or shaft 4 is longitudinally movable thereon so that when it is engaged with the loosely mounted member 39 rotary movement will be imparted to the shaft 4 through the connection of said clutch members. 7

A brake sheave 42 is fixed to the tubular shaft 4 and has a brake band 43 encircling it and attached to, one of the rods 24 by a bracket 44 (see Fig. 4). This brake band 43is of ordinary construction having the usual laterally spaced radially projecting arms 45 at its ends which are connected by a bolt 46 passing transversely through said arms and having a coiledspring 47 mounted thereon between the outer face of one of the arms and jam nuts 48 and 49 carried by the bolt. This, spring 47 operates normally to force the arms 45 toward each other and clamp the sheave 42 to hold the shaft 4 against turning.

A vertically reclprocatory member mounted between the arms band and has a wedge-shaped portion'51 which is designed to be moved between said arms on the lowering of said member 50 to spread them apart and release the brake. This member with the lever 19 at one end being here shown threaded and engaged with a threaded socket on said lever to provide for the adjustment of said member 50 to vary its length to adapt the brake to be operated at different intervals according to the size of the can in connection with which the agitator is to be used.

In the use of this apparatus the parts being in normal inoperative position as shown in Fig. 1 a can C is placed beneath the agitatorand the hand grip 29 of the lever 19 is grasped by the operator and a downward pull exerted thereon which causes the housing 10 and inner shaft 6 to be moved downward a sufiicient distance to position the agitator blades 7 in the can C to a point where they will be completely This pulling down on lever 19 also operates to move the member 50 downward causing the wedge-like portion .51 thereof to enter between and force the brake band arms 45 apart and release the brake. Immediately after the release of the brake the chain 38 being moved downwardly by the downward movement of the lever 19 pulls down the clutch actuating lever 34 thereby bringing the clutch member 33 into engagement with its cooperatingv member 39 by means of which rotary motion is imparted to both the inner and outer shafts causing the agitator blades to operate on the content-s of the can and eflectively agitate it rendering said contents of uniform quality throughout.

The revolving of the blades within the can causes the cream or other liquid contained thereinto be drawn down-through the center of the can and to pass up against the sides thereof to the top and back again through the center so that the contents is thoroughly agitated.

When the central lever 19 is released the counterweight 32 and the coiled spring 37 will operate to lift said lever carrying with it the shaft 6 and elevates lever 34, clutch submerged.

45 of the brake I 50 is detachably connected member 33 and rod 50 and thereby simul taneously releases the clutch and applies the brake so that the rotation of the agitator ceases when it passes out of the'can.

From the above description it will be obvious that the agitator will revolve only when it has been lowered to the bottom of the can or to its extreme downward limit being rendered automatically inoperative immediately upon the rising out of the can.

The preferredembodiment of the inven tion is disclosed in the drawings set forth in the specification, but it will be understood that any modifications within the scope of the claims may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a supporting structure, a hollow rotary shaft mounted therein, a blade carrying shaft mounted to reciprocate in and rotate with said hollow shaft, means for rotating said shafts, and means operable on the lowering and raising of the inner shaft to throw into and out of operation respectively the rotating means.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a supporting structure, a rotary longitudinally movable blade carrying member, and automatically operable means to prevent rotation of said member during its longitudinal movement.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a supporting structure, a tubular longitudinally slotted shaft mounted for rotation in said structure, a blade carrying shaft mount ed in said tubular shaft, a key carried by said inner shaft and having a lateral extension projecting through the slot in said tubular shaft to connect said shafts and permit the inner shaft to move longitudinally relatively to said outer shaft and to rotate therewith, and lever actuated means connected with said key to move said inner shaft longitudinally.

In an apparatus of the class described,

a supporting structure, a tubular longitudinally slotted shaft mounted for rotation in said structure, a blade carrying shaft mounted in said tubular shaft, a key carried by said inner shaft and having a lateral extension projecting through the slot in said tubular shaft to connect said shafts and permit the inner shaft to move longitudinally relatively to said outer shaft and to rotate therewith, a split collar encircling said shafts with said key extension arranged between the ends thereof, a housing encompassing said collar with ball bearings arranged between said collar and housing, and an actuating lever connected with said housmg.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a supporting structure, a hollow rotary shaft mounted therein, another shaft mounted to reciprocate in and rotate with said hollow shaft, means for rotating said shafts, a clutch member loosely mounted on said hollow shaft, means to rotate said clutch memher, a cooperating clutch member fixed to said inner shaft, a lever fulcrumed to said fixed clutch member, a spring retracted rod carried by one end of said lever, a lever connected to reciprocate said inner shaft, and a connection between said levers operable to return them to normal position when the last mentioned lever is released.

In an apparatus of the class described, a hollow rotary shaft mounted therein, an-

other shaft mounted to reciprocate in and rotate with said hollow shaft, a lever fulcrumed on one end to said structure and connected intermediate its ends with said inner shaft, a counterbalancing weight connected with the other end of said lever cooperating clutch members carried respectively by said hollow and said inner shafts, the member on the inner shaft being fixed thereto, while that on the hollow shaft is rotatable thereon, a lever carried bysaid fixed clutch member, and a connection between said levers whereby the pressure of the first mentioned lever will operate to lower the second mentioned and connect the clutch members for rotating the shafts.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature hereto.

CLAUDE LE ROY LEWIS. 

